Land of the Free
by mack-w
Summary: In the North American release of SAO, 10.000 new players are doomed to the Death Game.
1. Welcome & Wild Girl

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sword Art Online.

**A/N:** Because having just the first part was a lame introduction, I've merged these first two chapters together.

Shoutouts to Tigersight's _Death Game_ and Interfector's _Living Orange_ for their fantastic fics. More shoutouts to Tigersight for help concerning the fic below.

"Gail" and MC - "Charlie" based on real people. This story is not a self-insert, just a first-person.

* * *

Part One

"Link Start."

My voice was plain, but my heart was pounding in anticipation. «Sword Art Online». I was almost glad that the «Nerve Gear» kept my body from twitching in excitement, but at the same time it was slightly disconcerting to disconnect your body from your mind.

A tunnel of lights exploded before my eyes, colors flying past my face like laser beams. Circular windows assaulted me one after another, each with a different sense: touch, sight, hearing, taste, smell. All windows OK'd, and I entered my login information into a new window with my mind, checking a box first for English as my language. After the last window faded, I was left alone in an expanse of white. It was silent for a few heartbeats, perfectly silent, until a light ringing accompanied another window. Character creation.

I toggled the male symbol and was presented with a generic hero-type man standing before me. If I could, I would've cocked my head in thought, but a little mirror caught my attention. Pushing the small button transformed the generic body into a mirror image of me.

Honestly, I'm not much of a sight. I looked at myself standing before me like a strange outside of body experience. There wasn't exactly a scale, but I knew that I stood at five feet, eleven inches (~180cm). My plain, angular face and my plain, brown eyes stared at me under brown buzzed hair. _Plain, plain, plain. I almost sound like a broken record._

Not for the first time, I looked at myself with distaste. My small frame, wiry muscle mass, and boringly normal face left much to be desired. With this opportunity, as a character in a fantasy world, maybe…. I slightly increased the muscle mass of my character to fill my frame out just a bit and threw on some slightly longer hair. The finishing touch came with the eyes, and with a grin I pulled away to look at my creation.

The man standing before me with blazing red eyes was astounding. The last window remaining was for the character name.

"Charlie," I said. _Easy, I'll just use my name._

[Character name taken]

Energy drained away as my mind ran circles around itself to think of something competent. Obviously, people used real names, but I couldn't use my own. I didn't want to use some other real name, but I didn't want to be named after some stupid everyday object either. I stared at the box with my name still in it, and then it came to me. I struck letters away and pushed the login button. Things faded to a dull gray.

**[Welcome to Sword Art Online!]**

An electric blue stream of lights rushed past me as the letters from the opening statement blew by. Ribbons of light raced past my face, and I flew towards the light at the end of the tunnel, faster and faster until—

When the blinding white light faded, only darkness remained. A breeze blew across my face, and background noises grew from a murmur to a light roar. I realized that I could feel my body again, and I opened my eyes to catch my first sight of Aincrad. I paid the huge castle in front of me no mind. Instead, I looked around wildly at the huge plaza with a smile wide on my face. «Sword Art Online».

"It's so real!" I turned to see a short girl flexing her hands and poking the boy beside her. All around, hundreds of flashes of blue appeared, bringing more and more people into the world. Cheers went up from all around, and people flooded into the city to explore under the midday sun.

_ Wait a minute, isn't it getting close to midnight?_ The thought was barely growing when I slapped my head. Of course, because we were in a synchronized launch with the Japanese, we were running on their time. The creator of the game was Japanese after all. In the bottom right corner of my vision, I noticed the clock: 6, «Month of the Cyprus», 13:15. I bit my lip at having to get used to a whole new calendar, but I didn't have any time to spare.

With school only nine hours away, I had until 21:00 in Aincrad's time to get into and finish a short adventure. I pushed my way through the crowd and into a large street, almost uncomfortably aware of all of the attractive heroes and heroines. Off somewhere down a street I could hear a vendor shouting out his prices, and birds twittered above the flowing crowd, flitting this way and that.

I stepped out of the crowd, slipping down a narrow alley. After being in the heat of the sun, the cool shade felt perfect.

_ Actually perfect._ I looked at my hands, rubbed my fingers together, and reached out to touch a wall. The rough stone was cool, almost chilly. I walked down the alley, running my hands across the walls on each side. A breeze blew past me again, coming through the alley like a wind tunnel. I picked up the warm smell of yeast and fresh bread.

_ Real. _I swallowed, took a deep breath, squeezed my eyes shut, rubbed my face, and jumped up and down over and over. I smiled against my hands and ran them through my hair, savoring the feeling of my nails dragging across my scalp.

_ I can feel everything, this is amazing. It's so… so…_

"You're funny," a voice interrupted. I froze immediately, cracking my eyes open to face my embarrassment in the face. The tiny girl in front of me looked to be in her early-teens, dressed in simple clothes just like me. I struggled to find the words to explain what I was doing, but nothing came out of my mouth.

"I'm Roni," she said, reaching out a small hand. I took it warily, conscious of the fact that I had turned twenty only a few weeks previously. Surely this wasn't creepy, right? _She_ started the conversation, after all!

"I'm Cale."

"Cale!" she shouted, making me jump nearly out of my skin. Passers-by turned to look at us standing in the mouth of the alley as they went along a significantly less crowded street than the main one from before. Roni shrugged off their gazes and returned her attention to me.

"Sorry for yelling," she laughed. "It's a good name." I was trying to think of a way to ask politely what 'Roni' meant, but before I could put the question to her, she straightened up and seized my hand again.

"Mister Cale, I need your help!"

And with that, she dragged me through the menagerie of streets, brushing past men and women and children with reckless abandon. I held on for dear life as I slammed into this person and that, but that's the wrong terminology. For a small girl a foot shorter and forty pounds lighter, she was surprisingly strong. Her grip was like steel, and I knew there was nothing I could do to break her hold.

I idly looked around at the city as it flew by. Roni took us back into the main road and navigated her way around clumps of people with expertise. When I looked forward again, there was a hundred foot tall gate fast approaching.

Before I could gasp in awe at the gate and the equally monstrous walls ringing the city, we were shooting under and past them. Roni slowed to a stop some distance past the city limits, and a brief message appeared, telling us that we were leaving a «Safe Area». Nothing inside the «Starting City» prepared me for the huge expanse of land spread out beyond its walls.

Grasslands opened up like a book outside of the city. Trees dotted the rolling hills a ways out, and even further away an enormous forest covered the horizon. The wind carried the smells of grass and dirt and trees and life. It smelled like freedom, like adventure. And it was warm.

_ Even though I'm heading into winter at home, here on this floor, floor one of one hundred, it feels amazing. To think that there are ninety-nine other places above me that are this amazing is…_ I grasped for words to nail down just how I was feeling, but I failed miserably every time.

_ There's dirt under my feet, a fresh breeze in the air, and I'm holding onto a living, breathing person, too. This is just like real life._

Roni turned to beam at me, and I grinned back. _Wait—_

"What did you need help with, again?" I couldn't remember her saying what she needed me for, but she frowned at me, a look of almost disbelief in her eyes.

"We're going to kill monsters, dummy!"


	2. Boar Hunt

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sword Art Online.

* * *

Chapter 2

Roni and I sat in the grass outside of the «Starting City», watching would-be adventurers run by with all sorts of weapons. Most were dressed in clothes just like us, but a few here and there wore bits of leather. We watched, amazed, as one swordsman danced around a boar, giving glancing blows here and there to counter the boar's charges. The boar collided directly with the man, but he grinned and pushed it off with his two-handed sword and lifted the blade above his head.

The blade of the sword glowed a neon red, and faster than my eye could see, he sliced straight down through the center of the helpless monster. A dull afterglow faded from the air where his sword travelled and a bright red line split the boar down the middle. It exploded into millions of tiny lights as it died, and the man pumped a fist in the air.

"Roni, did you see that?" I turned to see if she was just as amazed as me, but she was gone. I panicked, fully ready to scream out an amber alert, when I heard her yelling.

"Hey, you with the big sword!" Her voice cut across the field, miraculously grabbing the attention of the man who just won his battle, and he waved a greeting. Roni was running out across the field, green hair streaming behind her. I rushed to catch up, running by other players looking to hunt other monsters.

"That was some fight! How'd you do the glowy sword thingy?" Roni tipped her head to the side, eagerly expecting an answer. After nodding a quick hello to me, the bald twenty-something sheathed his sword on his back.

"That was a «Vertical», a «Sword Skill»," he explained. "You hold your hands something like this above your head, and the system takes control to make you give a powerful attack!" He lowered his hands from where he demonstrated and shrugged, signaling that that was all he could say.

"Oh. How did you get a sword?"

The man laughed and scratched his head, telling us that we already owned one. After another bout of confusion, he pulled us back toward the city so we wouldn't catch the ill will of a monster. We sat down heavily in the grass near the spot Roni and I were before, and the bald guy turned back to us.

"Alright, take your right hand like this." He held up his hand with his first two fingers together and swiped them downward. A ringing rang out like a little bell, and a menu appeared before him. Roni and I immediately copied the motion, and two more menus appeared, ringing just like his.

He scrolled through his screen to show us the inventory screen, party screen, skill screen, status screen, and the main menu. We opened our inventories and with two flashes of light, short swords appeared in our hands. They weren't imposing like the long two hander other man had, but they had edges and caught the light with dangerous glints.

"Thank you, sir!" Roni slapped him a high five, catching him off guard. He clumsily met her palm, but his reaction time was still impressive.

"It's Gail. Here, message me if you run into trouble." He opened his menu again and ran down to the icon of two people, and after a few seconds messages appeared before me and the hyperactive girl.

[Gail would like to be your friend]

[Accept] [Deny]

Roni and I hit accept quickly, and as an afterthought added each other, too. Gail stood up and brushed his pants off.

"Well, that should solve most of your beginning problems. Try not to get killed out there." He shook my hand and went to shake Roni's as well, but she ducked around his arm and caught him in a surprise hug. He patted her back a bit awkwardly, said goodbyes, and headed back out into the field. After he'd been gone for a few minutes, Roni poked me hard in the ribs, causing an uncomfortable tingle instead of any pain.

"Ow!, Hey, what the—"

"We've got swords. Cale! Let's go, let's go, let's go! Adventure awaits!" Her energy was infectious, and I was starting to feel a bit giddy myself. We took off after Gail, wandering out to a boar that no one had started fighting. The two-handed swordsman was a ways away talking to some other players, and the other adventurers near us were fighting another boar.

Roni neared it eagerly, trying to tip-toe up to it. When I looked at it, I noticed that its cursor was yellow. The name appeared. «Frenzy Boar». Just as it started to notice us, Roni jumped forward and poked it in the butt.

In a flash, the cursor turned red and a health bar appeared. Roni's stab cut an almost unperceivable sliver off of it, and the boar rushed towards her. She leaped away gracefully, leaving an opening for me to close the distance and attack.

_ Alright, time for some serious damage!_

I charged for all I was worth and cut across the entire length of the monster, but no glow appeared, no afterglow faded, and nothing shattered to pieces. The small line I'd left along the side of it disappeared almost immediately, but I had a consolation prize: I cut away two more slivers than my overexcited friend.

My hopes fell around me in crushed waves as despair flooded in.

_ How did Gail kill the other one so easily? «Sword Skills», right?_

The boar rushed in, and I blocked it clumsily, pushing it away. Roni jumped in for another stab, and I followed with another slice. In total, we'd taken down a full twenty percent after almost as many charges and counters. My health was down further from the glancing blows I'd taken, and I worried about Roni. We hadn't taken any direct hits, but I knew one would hurt. I was more angry that every time I tried to do the «Vertical» like Gail, nothing happened.

The boar turned at the last second to catch me as I spun away, slamming its head into my chest for serious damage. My green bar dipped into yellow, but I as more shocked to see that the boar learned our movements than I was to see my health—represented only as numbers—dip me closer to death.

In two more charges, the boar knocked both of us down again, and was approaching Roni dangerously as she scrabbled to get to her feet. From where I was laying on the other side of the boar, I knew I wasn't going to make it in time to block it from hitting her. Her mouth opened to shout, but before she could a line of green cut sideways through the boar's head, dropping the remainder of its health to zero.

It shattered with that brilliant explosion of light, and Gail stood in its place.

"I'm so sorry, you guys, I am a complete fool." He helped Roni to her feet and came over to give me a hand as well, apologizing the entire time.

Gail sat us back down at a safe distance from the boars, and I watched with relief as my health bar slowly ticked back up, point by ever-so-slow point.

"It's about the «Sword Skills». Open your menus back up, and go down to skills. Yeah, the sword one." My menu showed a new screen I hadn't bothered to look at before in my excitement to get fighting. There were two dull gray rectangles sitting next to each other, and that was it. When I pressed one, another window came up to show a list of skills.

"To use «Sword Skills» for your one handed swords, you have to equip the «One-Handed Sword» skill in one of those slots. If you don't have the skill equipped for your weapon, you won't be able to activate them. I'm so sorry, I almost got you two killed." I was scrolling through a monstrous list of skills while he was talking, but I equipped the «One-Handed Sword» in my first slot, leaving the other one empty for later.

"Don't you worry! We're all learning, it's ok." Roni patted his bowed head, and I nodded my agreement.

"Don't be sorry, you've helped us a lot. We owe you our lives, too!" Gail blanched, saying again that it was his fault we were in that situation at all, but Roni and I forgave him easily. After all, we'd come back alive in the «Starting City» and be right at it again anyways.

A window in my face cut off our conversation. The party request from Roni made me want to slap myself. Of course we would have to party together if we were playing together. I accepted, and to my surprise, saw Gail's name in our group too.

"Now that we can do things right, let's go on an adventure!" Our green-haired leader's bubbliness was growing on me, even though I honestly didn't hang around people too much, in games and out.

Gail pulled us to our feet, and we headed out.


	3. Shopping

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sword Art Online.

* * *

Chapter 3

I finished a few more practice swings, and then I nodded to Gail. His lopsided grin was comforting and reassuring that the plan we had devised would pan out well. The big man waved on to Roni, who was standing a few seconds' run away.

With a flourish, the girl hacked into the hide of a «Frenzy Boar» with a «Slant», turning the boar red and raging. She jumped away, danced around its charge, and ran toward us, bringing the monster close behind. When the boar got close enough, Gail and I readied our «Horizontals».

When my sword locked into place, I immediately felt the difference between a «Sword Skill» and my futile attacks before. The sword hummed with power and glowed neon green, and I felt the game tugging me along to carry out my attack, delayed just a second behind Gail's.

Roni slid under our swords as if she was sliding into home plate, and Gail cut through the left side of the monster as it ran past. It kept charging towards our fearless leader, who was still dusting herself off when I slammed my blade into its right side, digging deep and dragging all the way down the length of its body. Its HP dropped to zero and shattered with the sound of breaking glass.

When the light explosion sounded, I filled to the brim with elation. It was the first monster I had defeated, albeit with help. I let my sword hang down, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when a square came up before me.

[Result]

[Exp 8]

[Col 10]

[Items 0]

"Hell yeah!" I shouted, stabbing my sword into the air. _That was incredible!_ While playing other games, you were always clicking or using a controller. Defeating a monster was no big deal, and now nothing could ever compare again. Using your own body makes the experience a hundred times, no, a thousand times better.

Before the adrenaline could dwindle, Roni poked me in the side.

"C'mon, there's more over there!"

We switched things up for the next few fights. Instead of the bait-maneuver, we ran around the field in single file, slashing one after another with «Sword Skills». Other players in the field either cheered us on or jeered at us for the quick slaughter of boars. After the second run across the field, we were waiting for the boars to respawn when Gail pulled us over to a tree.

"What are we waiting for?" Roni complained, watching the other players deal with their boars in groups of two or solo. We were stretched out under an apple tree taking a relaxing break. After fighting for that straight through those groups, it was nice to sit back. I let my mind wander, content to rest in the sun. Roni was sitting up, arms out behind her, kicking her feet up and down impatiently. Gail shook his head at her and leaned back against the tree. He opened up his inventory and a second later two apples appeared in his hands.

"Well, for one, it's rude to take all of the kills. Also, after a little bit, apples usually drop from these trees. I saw these fall earlier, but for it to take so long—" Whatever he was going to say was abruptly cut off by an apple bonking him on the head and rolling away to stop at Roni's hands. For a heartbeat everything was silent except for distant sounds of fighting.

"Ha!" Roni doubled over and rolled to her side, laughing harder and harder. I blew air out of my nose in a short huff, and Gail cracked a smile after a second of shock. Roni sat up and pointed at him a minute later.

"Sir Gail Newton," she affirmed, moving to grab the apple next to her. "'Sir Gail' for short, of course."

Gail tossed me one of his apples, and I was surprised to feel that the texture of the fruit was spot on. A twinge in my stomach made me realize that I hadn't eaten in the last hour and a half. Gail took a bite out of his apple, and I followed suit. My teeth broke the skin with a light pop, and I was once again surprised at how it felt.

I swished the apple juice and the bits of apple around my mouth, rubbing my tongue against the back of my teeth. I was surprised again to feel that I didn't have my permanent retainers on my teeth. I did back in the real world, and the me in my bed would feel them again when I woke up, but…

_To think this is all in a game._

Everything felt like how it would feel if I took my «NerveGear» off. I thumbed the edge of my blade with my free hand, feeling the scratchy surface of the cool metal and the roughness of the edge. It wasn't razor sharp, but it had been getting the job done. I plucked a shred of grass, too, and rolled it in my fingers before letting the breeze carry it out of my hand.

When the apples were finished, Gail dropped his core to the ground. It shattered a couple seconds after it hit, and I disposed of mine as well. It was satisfying to eat almost as much as it was satisfying to relax under the sun. Hell, I even felt a bit better than before. My stomach was sated, and I felt… sharper, stronger. A thought struck me.

"Gail, there's a food bonus, isn't there?" He nodded.

"There's also a negative hunger status. If you go too long without food, you'll start to starve. It's a very unpleasant feeling."

_Starvation, too?_ _I see._ I was starting to ask if we should get back into the field when Roni leapt to her feet and chucked her apple core away.

"Cale and Gail, no, Cale and _Sir_ Gail—"

"Why doesn't Cale get to be a sir?"

"Gail, shush, he's obviously a rogue. Look at him, he's a scoundrel." Much to my dismay, Gail nodded in agreement, but before I could argue, Roni poked me in the cheek.

"Hey, you're not listening. We should go shopping!"

There was no getting a word in edgewise with her. I sighed, having no choice other than to climb to my feet and walk with Gail after our determined party leader. We covered the distance from our copse of trees to the «Starting City» in record time chasing after Roni, and following her as she darted this way and that up and down streets was a feat deserving of a trophy.

_The streets are still incredibly crowded even though I thought most people were out in the field._ I shook my head. Of course there were so many people around. Ten thousand of us were crammed in this city. _Ten thousand people. Wow._

I put my hands behind my head and stretched, mindlessly following the green-haired head bobbing around the trickling stream of people in this side street. The «Starting City» had a homely look to it in its medieval German-esque style that I hadn't really noticed before. It was stunning. It was certainly large enough to hold several thousand people, but overcrowding would be an issue for all ten.

"Armor for sale!" a voice called out in the next street over.

"Weapons!" another shouted.

Like a bloodhound, Roni perked up. I could almost visualize her ears turning towards the sound. Then she was gone, darting off in chase. Gail and I hurried to the next lane and caught up with her as she found the NPC vendors we were looking for.

"Hello," the armor merchant said. It was almost believable that he was a person for a minute. Portly, receding hairline, friendly smile.

"Hello…" Roni was obviously at just as much of a loss as I was at how to buy anything, or how to interact with NPCs at all, for that matter.

"Show me what you have for sale." Gail stepped forward and scrolled through the list that came up with a light ringing. In a few short words, he informed us that NPCs required certain phrases in order to interact with them. Roni ooh'd and ahh'd, but we both nodded in understanding.

"We have enough money for leather vests and bracers. That's 300 Col and 100 Col. In another 200 we can get boots and a helmet." Roni stepped forward and scrolled through the list, purchasing her items, and I followed suit, picking out the vest and boots. There was a small stall in between the weapon and armor shops, and I stepped inside to change.

Dragging my fingers down, I opened the menu. The default screen was the inventory on the right and the image of a body on the left. I scrolled through my items past the clothes, sword, and boar hides to press the name of the leather vest. It didn't do much in the way of damage resistance, but it was better than the clothes I was wearing. I dragged the vest over to the little body figure and after a slight delay the light weight of the leather took hold and shaped to my chest.

The boots appeared a moment later, and I felt an irresistible need to reach down and touch them. Genuine leather wasn't exactly common. They were smooth and supple with thick and durable yet flexible soles. They felt like slippers. Badass slippers, but slippers nonetheless. The vest was a bit more rigid, but it was still malleable in the sense that it didn't impede my movement. I rolled my shoulders and stepped out of the stall, moving my arms this way and that to get used to the new armor.

Roni wolf whistled as I stepped out of the stall, and Gail nodded in approval. Roni was in a leather vest and arm-guards, but Gail wore a chainmail shirt as well as a vest, boots, bracers, and gloves. He was totally decked out.

_How long had he been killing those boars before we saw him?_

"Now what?" I asked as we walked away from the shops. We passed a few people still in their starting clothes and ignored their stares, pushing our way through the streets at random. Roni still hadn't made her mind up, and after a few more turns, we found ourselves back in the main plaza. There were still a decent amount of people around just talking, and I was somewhat proud to have a leg up.

Gail pulled a map out of nowhere and held it out for us to see. There were a few dots here and there, but it showed his position in the southernmost dot. Without saying anything, he trailed his finger from the «Starting City» up the map to the northwest dot. Roni let a wry smile pull across her face, and she poked me hard in the ribs again.

"We're going on an adventure."

"Of course."


	4. Something's Missing

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sword Art Online.

* * *

Chapter 4

It was past 16:00 in Aincrad time when our party left the «Starting City» again for the field. We spent another twenty Col apiece for bowls of half-decent vegetable soup and cups of water at an inn, eating an early 'dinner' before the evening rush. If there even was an evening rush, we'd be one step ahead, pocketing decent loaves of bread into each of our inventories for a snack later as well.

The slightly later-than-mid afternoon sun cast decent shadows from its slanted position in the sky. _By the looks of things, it'll be dark by 8:30 or 9:00. I mean, 20:30 or 21:00._

Players were still out in the field either getting used to the mechanics or getting back into the swing of things. Gail had told Roni and I that there had been a thousand beta testers in the NA or North American server. They had the whole month of August to play, and in that time, they only made it to the sixth floor, and that was on the very last day. The beta testers on the other side of the world only made it to the sixth floor as well, but they beat them by four days.

I could barely wrap my head around that concept. The beta testers had a _month_ to play the game, and they barely completed 6% of the giant castle. In any case, the information he gave us got me wondering about him. He knew so much, even if he was forgetful at times. I didn't ask him if he was part of the testing group, but I remained very suspicious.

We passed through the field taking care of any boars left unattended by the other groups. We kept moving towards the forest on the horizon, but for all the distance we covered, it never seemed closer. We didn't run into any boars for a while, so that wasn't taking our time away, but we still didn't seem to cover any real ground.

Twenty minutes after we passed the last boar, Roni's pace dropped back to match mine and Gail's. At twenty-five she gave a huge yawn and slowed down even more. She frowned, glum for the first time I'd ever seen.

"I'm kind of tired. It's, like, three in the morning."

My eyes fell down to the clock in the corner of my vision. It was 16:52. JST 4:52 pm meant EST 2:52 am. For a moment, I found it interesting that Roni and I were in the same time zone, but then I realized that I was only going to have three hours of sleep. I certainly didn't _feel_ tired, but I knew what she was getting at. While the body was kind-of dreaming, nothing could beat real sleep. _Tomorrow is going to be a long, long day._ Gail murmured his agreement to Roni's thoughts, and he pointed off to the left.

"We'll go off to those trees and log out from there. It's too late to go all the way back to the «Starting City»."

We veered off course towards a couple of trees up on a hill, making the uphill walk to the vista over the plains in only a few minutes. A few apples littered the ground, but we paid them no mind, sitting down heavily after our more than half-hour walk.

"It feels good to relax, if only mentally. We had a busy day," Gail smiled. "Thank you for letting me group up with you."

"No problem!" two replies came at once. I grimaced afterward.

"Ugh, tomorrow's Monday."

Gail nodded solemnly, opening his menu for a moment then closing it right after. He sat back against the tree and looked out at the world of «Sword Art Online» with a bit of happiness starting to light back up in his eyes.

"With work being rough lately, this'll be perfect for a bit of R&R."

Roni poked at his knees.

"Rest and relaxation, huh? Fighting for your life is more like it! That's more stressful than work, you boob."

Laughter boomed from the older man, and he a wry smile tugged at his lips.

"I wish that were true, Roni. How about you, Cale?"

I frowned, of course. Thinking about class always made me frown, although it was honestly my fault at this point. Online gaming _definitely_ wasn't going to help me find a major, and it sure as hell wasn't doing me any favors in the homework-completion department either.

"Class at eight in the morning, work at three. I don't suppose little Roni has anything to do tomorrow?"

She brushed away my tone and question with a wave of her hand and a dignified sniff, pointing her nose in the air and turning her face away.

"I have to go to school…" she turned back to look at us, "but if I'm sleepy and I might be 'sick.'"

Gail and I shook our heads almost in amazement but mostly in absurdity. We sat in silence for a minute after the conversation dwindled. After another moment of peaceful quiet, he waved at us, grabbing out attention.

"Well, it was nice to meet both of you. I'd like to hope that we'll stick somewhat together during our time together here."

Roni bobbed up and down in excitement. Where she got her energy from, I would pay to know.

"You too! And you both better, or else."

I agreed to her sentiments, and the two of them opened their menus. I closed my eyes to the ringing of their menu bells. _I wonder if sleep in here is just as good as sleep out there? _With a warm breeze moving in and the sun sinking lower towards what was expected to be a spectacular sunset, I decided to nap it out in-game and watch the sky for a while.

I frowned, eyes still closed, when Gail started muttering under his breath.

"Gail? I have a question."

"… Hm?" He sounded absent-minded, obviously focused on something else.

"The logout button, I mean. It _is_ a button in the menu, right? Or is that some other voice command?"

_Alrighty, no falling asleep just yet if there's something new to learn._

"No, it's…"

He paused, and then I heard him scooting closer to Roni.

"Let me see your—"

He stopped midsentence, and I opened my eyes to look over at them. Roni stared at him with a worried expression as he sat, open-mouthed, eyes glued to their menus.

"Gail?"

"Where did it— How do we—"

He either ignored her or he didn't hear her. With the expression on his face, I guessed the latter was the case. I sat up.

"What's going on?"

His eyes tore away from the screens to meet mine, and he pointed at me quickly.

"Open your menu and go to the main menu screen, it's at the bottom of the list, what do you see?"

His bullet-point orders led me through my menu and down the options until finally I saw—

"Nothing," I said, feeling a spark of panic run through my chest, "there's an empty space where a button should be…"

"I'm calling a GM immediately."

A window appeared before him, putting him on hold.

At first we waited in despair. Then we sat in gloom, and then finally in boredom. At least the sun was shining and the air was warm. The first floor could've been a snowy environment, after all, but even I ignored the smell of flowers and pollen in the air. Even I ignored the sun dipping down and the sky starting to grow orange. Even I ignored the wind and the feel of the grass.

I closed my menu and re-opened it every few minutes to see it the bug had been fixed, but every time I did, the button was still missing. I stopped after a while just to be sure I didn't drive my companions crazy with the bell noise. Gail was having no further luck with his call, and Roni gave up, opting to lay face down in the grass curled up in a ball.

17:55. I read the time in misery as it meant that it was nearing four in the morning. _Two hours of sleep. Man, tomorrow I'm done for._

We sat the last few minutes in silence, and if it weren't for the wind moving across the grass or the soft swaying of the tree in the breeze, it would've been maddeningly devoid of sound. A cold chill ran down my back from my shoulder to my tailbone. I shook my head to clear it, but it felt like someone was watching me. I looked around past my friends, but I saw nothing except for what I'd been mindlessly staring at for the last hour.

All three of us shouted out in surprise when a bell dinged and we each exploded into blue light. The grass disappeared, and the last thing I saw of the plains was a bald head and green head disappearing as well.

I was trapped in a cylinder of light that turned from a royal blue to a blinding white in the blink of an eye. I didn't even have time to scream, it was over so fast. One moment I was sitting with Roni and Gail, and the next…

I looked around to see that I was back in the main plaza of the «Starting City». There was no mistaking the castle in front of me or the buildings around. All around me, more and more players appeared in blue flashes, filling the plaza completely.

"Cale!"

A body slam from behind knocked me off balance, and I turned to see my two friends pulling me close. We stood shoulder to shoulder along with everyone else, Roni in between us, not knowing what to expect.

"Maybe they're going to log us out," our green-haired, fearless leader managed to squeak out, but when Gail stared up into the sky, my gaze quickly followed. Around us, the whispers hushed and stopped completely, leaving the plaza silent enough to hear a pin drop even though everyone in the game had to have been crammed into it.

Far above us, two massive, red signs hovered.

[ Warning ] [ System Announcement ]


	5. The Tutorial

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sword Art Online

* * *

Chapter 5

In an instant, the red signs multiplied and covered the sky, trapping us in the plaza under a crimson dome of words. From where I stood, I watched people try and run away only to smack face-first into invisible walls. We were trapped, sealed away from Aincrad and reality.

_Is this what a mass logout looks like?_ A brief glance at Gail's face told me no, which made my gut twist. There was an ominous aura emanating from the ceiling, and without realizing it, I had tensed up, fists balled.

_I'm in danger. This isn't right._

When drops of thick, red liquid started seeping from the lines in-between the messages, I grimaced. It creeped me out when the blood rain started falling, but then it started drawing together, swirling about in a fine red mist. The cloud spun tighter and tighter in a furious whirlwind, buffeting all of the players below. A particularly heavy wind forced me to cover my face, and when I looked back up, a tall form floated above us.

A long red robe flowed around a white mask with horizontal slits for eyes. The robe fluttered in a nonexistent breeze, and two white gloved hands came out of the sleeves on either side. Two small crimson lights sparked into existence where the eyes should be, and fear stabbed through me as it glared down at me. I took a step back, terrified that it was staring into my soul, but I was reassured by the uncomfortable muttering that buzzed around me that the feeling was mutual for the others. I wasn't being singled out, no matter how much it felt like it.

∙ [ Welcome to the world of «Sword Art Online» ] ∙

The deep baritone voice didn't boom, nor did it echo across the shingled roofs or cobbled plaza. _It's inside my head!_

∙ [ My name is Aaron Sera, and I am the only person in charge of the North American server ] ∙

_I've never heard that name before—_

"Where's Kayaba Akihiko?!"

"There's a serious bug that you have to—"

People all around the crowd shouted up at it, but the figure held up his hand, silencing the outburst. A force poked me in the throat, similar to how Roni kept poking me earlier. My hands flew to my neck, gasping in surprise… but no noise escaped. I tried shouting, but I couldn't speak, no matter how hard I tried.

∙ [ You all have no doubt noticed that there is a button missing from your main menu ]

∙ [ This is not a bug, it is a feature of «Sword Art Online» as Kayaba Akihiko intended it ] ∙

_A feature?_ I tried to scream, tried to protest, tried to do anything, but my body wouldn't move. I couldn't budge my character an inch. My gaze stayed locked on the hooded mask, staring into those eyes of fire. It wasn't right. It wasn't like I was locked in fear, but more like how I expected my body in the outside world to be. It was just shut off for the moment. I was powerless, and I could only listen.

∙ [ Until you reach the top of Aincrad, there will be no logging out ] ∙

∙[ When the hundredth floor is cleared, the button will be restored ] ∙

_What is he—_

∙ [ Furthermore, the «Room of Resurrection» has been replaced, and normal items intended for the revival of players have been removed ] ∙

My brain processed the information as quickly as possible. _Then that's easy. We just die as soon as possible and get booted out of the system, right?_

∙ [ «Sword Art Online» is no longer a game ] ∙

∙ [ It is a second reality, and in reality, death is permanent ] ∙

The huge floating admin paused for a minute, perhaps trying to add suspense.

∙ [ The instant your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted ] ∙

∙ [ After that, the signal sensors in the «NerveGear» will emit an electromagnetic pulse to stop all of your basic functions and destroy your brain, ending your life in both this world and the other ] ∙

_Destroy… my brain. He's going to kill me— no — the game is going to kill me if my HP hits zero? That's not possible, right? _With a shock, I remembered the close call Roni and I had in the field with that first boar. If we had died then, or in any fight after, would our brains already have been fried? The thought was horrifying. We could be dead right now, brains melted to mush in our beds. _He has to be lying._

With another wave of his hand, images of news networks replaced the signal messages in the dome. I found that I could move my head again, and it moved on a slow swivel looking from network to network.

The Japanese networks were interspersed with the American channels, Canadian channels, and even a Mexican channel. CNN, ABC, CBS, CW… all of the major networks and stations from home were talking about the «Sword Art Online» Incident. A man from Fox was making a bold platform against video game 'trash.' Apparently, this was all our fault for buying the game. The problem was always inherent in the youth, as Fox would have us believe.

∙ [ The disruption, dismantling, or any attempts at removing the «NerveGear» from the outside is forbidden as well ] ∙

∙ [ Attempts to do so will have the same consequences as if your HP has decreased to zero ] ∙

I froze, still looking at one of the Japanese networks. His words rang in my ears, killing the idea before I'd even thought of it. No one from the outside was going to be taking the damn thing off of me.

∙ [ If you are disconnected from electricity for ten minutes, disconnected from the system for more than two hours, or attempted to be rescued, your brain will be destroyed ] ∙

∙ [ The American and Japanese governments have been made aware of the conditions set forth, yet hospitals in the United States have attempted to remove the head gear from several patients ] ∙

∙ [ Thirty players have been deleted from the game due to disregarding the warnings ] ∙

_People died. _I would have been shaking if I could move. _Real people actually died, and if my HP hits rock bottom…_ I eyed the green bar in the top left of my vision. 250 points of data were all that represented my health. There was no illness that could kill me in here. The only thing that could kill me would be monsters beating me down from green to yellow, yellow to red, and… _red to dead_.

∙ [ Due to deaths both in the United States and Japan, the warnings have been followed ] ∙

∙ [ Kayaba Akihiko has given all players a grace period of two hours to be transported to hospitals, where you all will be taken care of ] ∙

∙ [ With minimal risk from the outside, please set your sights on the hundredth floor ] ∙

Sera swiped his gloved hands through the air, and control of my body returned to me. All at once my body collapsed. The energy from before fell out of me as my heart fell to my stomach and my knees buckled.

∙ [ Kayaba himself has sent you all gifts, evidence of your new reality ] ∙

∙ [ Check your inventories, and then proceed onward with your new lives ] ∙

I didn't move to open my inventory. I stayed on the cobbled ground, crippled.

∙ [ Do not ask yourselves why this is happening ] ∙

∙ [ Kayaba's purpose has been to 'create and watch this world' ] ∙

The deep voice echoed in my mind solemnly.

∙ [ As is mine ] ∙

All was silent for a moment, and then a deep laugh resonated in my head. Sera,_ that bastard_, _he's laughing? _I balled my fists and lifted my head to glare at the masked man.

∙ [ This concludes the official tutorial ] ∙

∙ **[ Welcome to «Sword Art Online» ] ∙**

He laughed as his robe and hands disintegrated back into tendrils of mist. On and on, he laughed in my head, but the eyes in his mask still burned in a different light. _That's the face of evil. He's killed us all._

The mask shimmered and dispersed, leaving only the afterglow of those burning red flames hanging in the air as the mist from his body rose back to the dome. The clips of news stations were replaced with the old messages again, and when the last drop of Aaron Sera disappeared back into the cracks, the system messages all folded back into one another until only the two original ones were left. They flashed once, twice, and then faded.

The plaza was filled with near ten thousand people, but it was silent as a crypt. The pressure faded from my throat, but I couldn't even cough out or sob. I was empty. My life was gone, taken away by an evil man in a mask with fire for eyes. My future was stolen by Aaron Sera and Kayaba Akihiko. _No, no, no._ _I have class in… in…_

I stared at the clock numbly. It ticked 18:16, and someone far away screamed. _Why is she screaming? I have to go to sleep soon, I have to…_ I noticed Gail's feet, and my eyes traveled up his body to see him standing still as stone, staring into the sky where the giant figure had loomed only a minute ago.

"Gail… it's past four in the morning… we have to…" I broke off at a loss for words. He shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut. Slowly he turned and looked down at me as my words belatedly registered, jaw clenched. His eyes flicked lower, and I followed them to see Roni sitting still, eyes wide, staring into space.

_Roni. Oh no._ Flashes of white light started to flare up around us, and Gail reacted with lightning speed. Before I could do anything, I was tucked under his left arm, helpless as he ran through the plaza with Roni under his right. I rubbed against his chainmail uncomfortably with every step he took, but every stride took us further from the hysterical mess behind us. I didn't turn around. I didn't want that sight to be in my head. I didn't want to know.

When Gail finally stopped, we were outside of the inn we had eaten at before. He led us inside silently with Roni and I at his heels. She was worrying me with how unresponsive she was, but when she tripped and cursed under her breath, I felt slightly relieved. I steered her into a booth and sat down next to her while Gail plopped down across from us. His bald head gleamed in the light from the candles and lanterns all around, and it shifted to look at me.

"In your inventory, it's the gift that Kayaba Akihiko gave us."

I snapped to attention, realizing his menu was open. I quickly opened my own, and Roni slowly swiped hers open as well. Sitting at the bottom of my list was a single item.

«Hand Mirror»


	6. Day One

**Disclaimer:** As always, and as it will forever always be, I do not own Sword Art Online.

**Double Disclaimer****:** I also don't own that quote I used.

* * *

Chapter 6

I pulled my «Hand Mirror» out of my inventory and held it in front of me. Gail and Roni's mirrors flashed into existence a second later, but my attention was on the person before me. The hero in my mirror had great hair, burning red eyes, and perfect teeth. I didn't spend long creating him, but I winced at the thought of his attractive face being my avatar for however long it took until the government got us out of this game. _Like hell the government can do that, though._ _Would I even trust them to try?_

The flash of light took me by surprise and blinded me. It lasted for a few seconds, but when the aura dissipated, the person looking back at me from my mirror was very familiar. I dismissed it immediately. After all, it was something I saw all the time, so I paid my reflection no mind—

_Wait. My reflection?_

I grabbed the mirror with two hands and stared at my face. Short, buzzed brown hair, brown eyes, that damn stubble… I saw my irrelevantly crooked teeth. They were nearly straight, but the difference was barely noticeable. They were even slightly chipped in all the same places. I felt my permanent retainers—bands of metal glued behind both my top and bottom rows of teeth—and to my surprise, I was slightly relieved. The face before me was one that I knew, one that I was perfectly comfortable in. Issues with my underweight body notwithstanding, I was at home in my own skin, my fair, still-slightly-tanned-from-summer skin.

The mirror shattered after another few seconds and disappeared, leaving me sitting back in the candlelight with two people I had never seen before.

Gail was older than his character had been. He might've been in his mid-thirties or early forties. While I only had a bit of color, Gail was really tanned. He must have been in the sun near constantly for a long time. He was still bald, but his face changed, too. Whereas before he'd been quite heroic-looking, bold, and a bit exaggerated, he now had a more normal albeit wolfish look to him. His eyes were sharp, but his laugh lines were deep. Aesthetics aside, he was still the man I had been running around with for the last few hours.

Beside me, Roni had turned from a green-haired little pixie into… a brown-haired little pixie. Her hair was down to her shoulders instead of the middle of her back. It was slightly wavy, framing her delicate little face— Her face hadn't changed much. While she looked like a little angel, there was a mischievous little devil inside of her hidden behind those hazel eyes. There was now a light dusting across her nose and cheeks, but she looked fairly similar to the green-haired girl from before. Actually, she looked _younger_ than before.

"Roni, how old are you?" I couldn't help myself, and I blurted out the question without thought. Instantly, I regretted that I asked such a personal question, and I was expecting a lecture from both of them. I was expecting her to jab her finger into my ribs, which she did, but when she pulled her hand back, she answered.

"Eleven."

_Eleven years old. That's worse than I thought._ I leaned over the table to drop my face into my hands. She gave a slight smile, but there wasn't much heart in it. There wasn't much heart in anything if half of the things Aaron Sera had said were true.

"I made myself look older, but you look almost the same, and Sir Gail looks older than before."

A bit of her former personality resurfaced, but her voice… her voice. She sounded so _young._ Hell, she _was_ so young.

"I'm thirty-three," the other man said, rubbing the back of his head. He must've been thinking the same thing as I was. Roni was a child, not even a full-fledged teenager yet, and people had _died _in this game already. I shook my head at the unfairness of it all.

"I'm twenty."

I ran my hands across my head, scratching my scalp. It sent light shivers down my spine, and my head tingled afterward. If it were two hours ago, I would have congratulated Kayaba Akihito on his work. Before, I had been so excited that everything felt so real, so amazing.

_It still is real, but everything's changed._

I touched the table and rubbed the smooth wood. _So real..._ _and so is dying._ I looked to Gail with questions in my eyes, but I shot a quick glance at Roni first. I didn't want to upset her, but at the same time, I had to know. Gail knew just about everything so far, so he's the only one that can settle this. _Either way, we'll both have to come to terms with it_.

"Gail, is it possible?"

The question hung in the air for a long time. I couldn't bring myself to ask the whole question, but he understood. We all understood. The inn was silent except for the flickering of flames and the NPC bartender cleaning and putting away mugs. Roni fidgeted uncomfortably, but she didn't go catatonic again, so that was a good thing. _Isn't it?_ Gail folded his hands and pressed them to his lips, elbows planted on the table. To my dismay, he nodded slowly.

"There are receptors or transceivers or something of the sort in the «NerveGear» that do emit small little pulses. They're what blocks the brain waves from moving the body around, so a strong pulse _could…_"

I shook my head against my hands. This was crazy. We could die in here? And if we did die, we'd get our brains turned into instant noodles on the other side. We'd have to fight for our lives, but to clear one hundred floors? _Even in the beta they only made it a fraction of the way up, and they had a whole month._ Gail continued.

"The battery in the helmet powering a pulse would serve as a microwave of sorts—"

"Stop it!"

Roni interrupted him, biting her lip. I opened my mouth, didn't find the words to say, and closed it again. Silence overtook us once more. It was becoming a tough reoccurrence to get past. With nothing left to do, we ordered water and soup again, tucking into our bowls as they came out instead of broaching the topic of our prison.

The soup was good just like the time before. The vegetables were tasty, and the broth was nice and salty. I even brought out my loaf of bread to eat as well. I soaked up the rest of the soup dutifully, putting as much attention as I could into the act instead of thinking about the elephant in the room.

But no matter how long we avoided it, it would linger. It outlasted the food easily, and when we settled back into the silence, a thought took control of me. It was just one little seed, but it grew and grew until I couldn't sit still anymore. I opened my inventory. The bell pulled their attention to me, but I pulled up the skills window and accessed the list for my second slot.

"Damned if we do, damned if we don't," I muttered.

«_Fishing», «Sewing», «Cooking»… «Equipment Appraisal»? «Battle Healing» looks useful, but «Sprint»… There's «Searching» and «Hiding» too, huh? Then there are all of these «weapon skills»…_

"If what he said is true, then there's only one way to get out of this thing."

Gail stared hard at me for a minute, and then he nodded. Roni squirmed in her seat, but she eventually opened her menu and ran through her skills as well.

"As much as I don't want to say this cliché line, we've got no choice. We have to get stronger. If the only way out is to beat our way out of this game, then so be it."

I kept talking as I pulled «Sprint» into my second skill slot. Gail didn't smile. The time for flippant smiles and games was over. Our lives were on the line. If we died in here, we died out there. Roni poked me hard in the ribs, pulling me away from my thought process and away from my menu. I glared at her, but I wasn't really angry. Not at her, anyways.

"If you're gonna say something like that and then not follow up on it, you're worse than useless, you boob. Scoot, scoot, scoot!"

She kicked me out of the booth with both feet and sent me sprawling into another table. Gail stood and pulled me up while Roni skipped past us and headed for the door. She looked back at us with a serious face, but the corner of her mouth twitched in an effort to keep from giving us one of her looks from before, back when she was the happy-go-lucky, carefree, green-haired adventurer.

_She's planning on being a survivor._ I blinked. Resolve steeled my mind. _So am I._

When we left the inn, the sun had dipped low into the sky, lighting the clouds in a gorgeous mixture of reds, oranges, and yellows. It settled lower and lower as we made our way through the «Starting City». We avoided the plaza and marched through the empty side streets down the medieval city's cobbled roads, and we came out at the main gates. I couldn't bring myself to look back at the plaza, and we took off for the dot Gail had pointed out earlier.

The objective was the same, but all of the meaning behind it had changed. If Aaron Sera was to be believed, this was no game. This was reality, and as the wind blew across my face and the smell of springtime filled my nose, I almost believed it. We covered the distance to the hill where we tried to log out in half the time as before. I stopped to take one long look back, finally turning into the breeze to glare at the «Starting City». Somewhere, Aaron Sera and Kayaba Akihiko were high-fiving and placing bets on who would die first. I was determined that it wouldn't be me or my friends.

The sunset painted the sky blood red. A memory resurfaced from a visit to my grandmother's house up north in the countryside years ago, back when I was several years younger than Roni.

_"Your great-grandfather used to tell me a little saying on nights like these," she said, looking longingly at the dark red sky. The summer night was warm with a gentle breeze. Condensation ran down the sides of our tea cups. The cicadas were screeching out in the trees, but across the grass, everything was peaceful. She rocked back in her chair and smiled._

_ " 'Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight.' "_

I wasn't sure why it came into my head, but there it was. The grass was peaceful out in the field before me. An apple dropped from a tree nearby. Far out, a few boars sniffed around the ground, but that deep red sky gave me some comfort. I wasn't a sailor, but I still felt hopeful. _If only grandma could see me now._

I turned to chase after my friends, who had started to yell at me, but a genuine smile came out, and I ran on feeling light as a feather. We would survive. We had each other, after all, and we had determination. Damn Sera and damn Kayaba. I was going to make the most of it.

The time was 21:08. 9:08 pm in Aincrad time meant 7:08 am in my native Eastern Standard. I was definitely going to miss class.


	7. What a Forest

**Disclaimer****:** I do not own Sword Art Online.

* * *

Chapter 7

The forest was a terrible mess once we made it after a forty-five minute run. Other than getting ambushed by wolves or strange little plant monsters, we got turned around twice before Gail was forced to keep his map open the entire time to navigate. Roni and I kept the monsters off of him well enough for the most part, and after the long trek we finally broke through the trees to see «Horunka», a small village. It was definitely a sight for sore eyes after the struggle in the forest. Roni looked up at Gail.

"Now what?"

"Let's pick up a quest."

_That was two hours ago_. I jumped away from a swinging vine as the «Little Nepent» tried to kill me once again. The disgusting 'little' plant stood about as tall as me with a gaping mouth and stems sprouting from the top of its head. The nepent pulled its vines back against its body to block a «Slant» from Roni, who charged in from the side. When it rocked back, off balance, Gail leaped in to finish it off with a quick «Vertical». When it shattered into dust, I grimaced. That last plant had kept me on my toes more than any of the others. I sighed in exhaustion. The time read 1:19, which meant we had been playing for a solid twelve hours now.

_No, we've been trapped for twelve hours. It isn't playing anymore._ I hadn't collapsed and died, so I could only assume my roommate and dorm mates had successfully called an ambulance to take my body away during Kayaba Akihito's grace period. I couldn't place where I would be. There were a lot of hospitals within two hours of my school. I sheathed my sword, banishing the thoughts.

"How many have we killed?"

Gail looked at the sky, counting in his head. We'd been clearing «Little Nepents» ever since we got that «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest from an NPC with a sick daughter. Only a «Little Nepent's Ovule» would work in the medicine the mother was making. I sighed. We had leveled up in the forest on the way to «Horunka», but the nepents were yet another level ahead of us. After all the hard work, the little «Lv 2» by my name looked so daunting in what it represented. The entire time I'd been here added up to that little number. To do something for twelve hours and only be a small step forward… It was taking even longer to get the experience to get on equal ground with the plants. It was maddening.

"We've killed a hundred and forty, roughly."

_Ouch, and he only means the ones we've killed since we took this quest._ Out of those nepents, we'd recovered two ovules. Gail said we were lucky enough to get two in such a 'short amount of time,' but I could've smacked my head against a wall. Since we'd been fighting the nepents, my health had dropped into the yellow multiple times. I was more than halfway dead for every fifth fight. I was learning how to dodge and counter, but at what cost? What if I died?

I was going to ask him about heading back, but he was typing away hastily into a message window. Roni stepped up to him, slinging her sword back over her shoulder.

"Is everything alright, mister Sir?"

He shook his head and pulled us out of a nepent's aggro range and into a cluster of trees. When he kneeled down in the small clearing, I thanked the heavens and dropped onto my butt immediately. _A hundred and forty Nepents, that's a workout._

"A friend in the «Starting City» sent me some details on how things are holding up."

Roni and I leaned in, and he frowned.

"All hell broke loose after Sera's «Tutorial», understandably, but an hour ago there was a group suicide. She says that they were trying to see if they would wake up or not, but there's no way for us inside the game to know."

My jaw dropped. A group suicide? So people had started killing themselves. That was a tough pill to swallow. Gail didn't say how they did it, and I didn't want to know. He opened another message and sent back a quick reply.

"Also, a few people took charge of the situation and gave public speeches in the plaza. Several guilds have been created, but they don't know what to do. Everyone is scared back there, and the beta testers have all disappeared."

He shook his head. I couldn't help but wonder as to his status. Beginner or beta tester? _I can't believe that it got so bad so fast, though_.

"She thinks that they've all gone to get the best quests and the best items first, and I can't say that I blame them. It's what I would do."

Roni made a face at us.

"Are you kidding me? Look at us. We've got two quest items in hand, not to mention that we're the next level _and_ we're at the next town. We're no better than the beta testers. We just left everyone behind…"

I couldn't not agree with her. If leaving the «Starting City» behind in the dust was a crime, we were guilty of that and more. But still…

"There was nothing we could do," I argued. "They'd been playing just as long as us, so it's their own fault if they don't take the initiative."

Gail swiped a hand between us to break our staring match apart. He looked back and forth between us, but he ended up shrugging.

"Without sounding so accusatory, they _did_ have access to as much information as everyone else before the game launched. Multiple reviews held all sorts of great tips for anyone who bothered to read them." Before Roni could shout at him, he continued. "However, they do have the right to feel abandoned. A little help goes a long way, after all, and teamwork might be what we need to beat the game."

I chewed over his words, seeing that he was, in fact, correct. Roni didn't comment, but she tilted her head in acceptance. Our conversation was stopped from going any further by a rustling in the bushes by our clearing. Shrill squeaks and gurgles told us that a «Little Nepent» had found our hiding spot. I pulled my sword free of the scabbard on my hip and slashed a «Horizontal» at it as it burst forward.

An hour later, our tired and hungry party re-entered «Horunka», eager to finish the quest and get some rest. The small house that the quest NPC resided in was suffocatingly warm compared to the cool night outside, but when she presented a new sword to each of us, the discomfort melted away.

"An «Anneal Blade», huh? Oh wow, look at the stats!" Roni's excitement had me pulling the new sword out of my inventory as quick as possible.

The blade was a bright silver: clean, polished, and deadly. It caught the light on its razor sharp edge all the way down to the hilt, which was a simple cross guard. The handle was wrapped in soft black leather, but the stats blew me away.

"It's… six times stronger than our «Short Swords»!"

Only Gail was disappointed as he swung the lethal device around in his hand. It was tiny in comparison to his six foot frame, and he switched back to his two-hander with a dejected frown.

We walked out of the NPC's house and back onto the dirt road that ran through the center of the village. There was a small inn on the other side of town that would be our home for the night, and we did not want to delay getting to sleep any more.

The inside of the inn was rougher and more cluttered than the inn back in the «Starting City», but with a bartender, waiter, and a musician in the corner plucking a lute, it certainly felt more alive. We paid for our rooms quickly and ascended the stairs at the back of the building.

"Remember to set your alarms for ten. Eight hours of sleep should be more than enough. We'll grab breakfast at ten after or so and head on back to meet up with my friend as soon as we can, alright?" Roni and I agreed to his plan, and we all headed into our separate rooms.

I touched my doorknob and chewed my lip as it swung open. The room was small, only holding a bed, a chair, and a small table, but the window let the pale light from the moonlight stream in, and I didn't stub my toes trying to get around. It wasn't pretty, but it was enough. I unequipped my armor and slid under the sheets, marveling at how soft they were. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	8. Trouble at Home

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sword Art Online.

* * *

Chapter 8

I slept like a rock, if rocks were able to sleep or think, but that's a thought for another day. The ringing bell woke me up instantly. It was probably a feature that would wake me up no matter what, but I couldn't help but hate an alarm that I couldn't sleep through. I cracked an eye at the window floating above me that was blaring an annoying cacophony of bells. It was a shame that there wasn't a 'snooze,' but I hit the window to close it and sat up.

The covers slid off me and piled over my waist. I would have been worried about missing class and having _more _work to do, but I wasn't in my clothes, nor was I in my bed. I rubbed the soft sheets between my fingers. _Perfect,_ I would've thought yesterday. I shook my head of the path I was heading down and arched my back, lifting my arms above my head and enjoying the sweet feeling of my body releasing the tension left over from the previous night. I took my time stretching in the morning light before slipping out of bed and equipping my boots and vest over my simple clothes.

Roni and Gail were waiting downstairs, already eating bits of bread and cheese. I should've known better than to hope for cereal, but I paid for and ate my share dutifully. After downing a cup of water each, we thanked the bartender, who bid us farewell, and we left «Horunka» for the «Starting City».

The road leaving «Horunka» traveled through the forest in a beat path that we hadn't found the day before, but when it curved off too far to the west, we left it to head directly south in the quickest route possible. The forest put up little resistance aside from the same wolves and nepents we'd fought before. When we broke free of the forest's clutches and faced the plains, the way was easier. We avoided boars, only jumping in to claim some free Col when we got bored with the walk.

By the time the «Starting City» came into view, we had been walking for more than two hours. We neared the city before another ten minutes passed, and Gail shot his friend a message letting her know where to meet us. The gates were open, and we were home free when the «Safe Area» status came up. As we moved to pass through the gates, however, four men stepped forward.

All of them were in their mid-twenties, and they all were dressed in their starter clothes. Blades flashed into their hands, and before I could say 'hello,' I was staring down the flat side of a «Short Sword». I was getting cut off a lot lately, though this marked the first time that I was _literally_ being cut off.

"Your money and your items, hand them over," the man with his sword at my nose growled. They were all average looking dudes, but their faces were contorted with malice. I grit my teeth.

"I don't think so." I moved to brush the sword away, but another was promptly pointed at my throat. The muscular man who spoke before narrowed his eyes at me.

"We weren't asking, we were telling. Money and items, cough them up."

He probably wasn't expecting a little girl to draw her sword and smack his away. She glared at the rest of them, who shifted their weight awkwardly to face the new target. _They were really expecting us to give up that easily?_

"We can point swords and hit each other all day in the «Safe Zone», but we'll have gotten nowhere. What makes you think you can order us around?"

Gail moved forward, towering over all of us. When he got no answer, he shrugged and reached back for his two-handed sword. He drew it slowly, coaxing every grating sound he could as it slid off of his back. I reached for my sword as well, and the would-be robbers cracked under the pressure of three better-equipped players preparing to smash them into the ground. The muscular man's shoulders sank, and he sheathed his sword.

"Fine! But just so you know, «The Patriots» are trying to make things fair for everyone here in the «Starting City». Equal rights for all and everything like that, you know?"

With the situation defused, we put our weapons away. As we were walking past them into the city, Gail turned back.

"I understand equality for everyone, but that doesn't excuse armed robbery. Teach them how to fight and help themselves before you try and force the help of others."

The man's mouth opened and closed several times, but after he finally nodded, we turned and headed into the city. Hopefully, no other travelers coming back would be harassed. I grinned at Gail, but his forehead was creased, either in thought or worry, I couldn't tell. _Are things that serious?_

We ducked into side alleys whenever we saw groups of armed men like the ones at the gate patrolling around. By some stroke of luck we managed to find our way to the only inn we knew. With our game of cat and mouse done, we stepped out properly into the street and moved to open the door. The inn was packed to the bursting point. Gail searched through the crowd to see his friend at one of the tables, but we couldn't manage to move as a group between all of the people. There wasn't enough room.

"We'll wait outside," I told him. Standing back on the cobbled street, I looked around at the deserted area. Roni shifted her weight between her feet nervously, and a few minutes later the door opened. Gail hurried out with a woman in tow.

She was older than me, maybe of the same age as Gail. Her red hair was cut short, and though she wore nothing but her starting clothes, I could tell that she was a dangerous woman. Her poise, the aura she emitted, and the way her eyes cut through me confirmed that I did not want to get on her bad side. And then she smiled, and sweetness melted the danger away, even though I knew it was honey covering poison.

"These two? Alright." She gave a slight bow. "My name is Raleigh. Follow me."

She turned on her heel and set off to an alley behind the inn. After exchanging glances with Gail and Roni, I shrugged and hurried to catch up. We were already down one street and heading up another when she turned to smile at us for catching up to her.

"So you're Cale, and she's Roni, right?"

I nodded, and she smiled sweetly at my party leader.

"Why 'Roni,' honey?"

The eleven-year old beamed and leaned in close. I barely heard her whisper:

"It's short for 'macaroni,' but don't tell anyone."

Raleigh winked at Gail and I, who smirked at each other, and then she pinky-promised the little girl that she would never share her secret.

When we arrived at the huge castle at the edge of the massive plaza, I was slightly taken aback. It wasn't exactly where I was thinking she was leading us. She continued on towards the castle with the three of us in tow, opening the large doors and steering us inside.

"This is «Black Iron Palace», and over here…" she stepped through another smaller door and a room opened up before us. A chamber longer than it was wide held a single object. Under its high vaulted ceiling, covered in light from windows all around the chamber, a huge stone monolith spread across the far wall. As we approached, I read the words covering its surface, eyes widening as I realized they were names of players.

"This used to be the «Room of Resurrection». It's where dead players used to revive. What you see is called the «Monument of Life». Come over here to this name."

Gail, Roni, and I scooted closer to see a name she was pointing to. The name read:

[ Terino ] [ Falling in midair ] [ 6.11.22 22:23 ]

"What is this?" Gail asked, voice soft. Raleigh touched the name for a second before pointing at seemingly random places on the stone.

"Here, there, and there. These are the names of the six who jumped off of Aincrad. Over there is another name, killed by nepents, probably a beta tester."

I numbly looked at all of the names, all ten thousand names. It was almost too much to bear, seeing the roll call of the dead and those who may soon follow.

"This is all that's left. It's the only thing we leave behind in this world." She scoffed. "A scratched out name, that's all."

Gail had been quiet, soaking in the situation. I was starting to expect that of him. Where Roni and I were 'rush in headfirst,' Gail always considered situations and words before he acted or spoke. There was definitely something to be learned from him, as rushing in blindly might get me killed eventually. I looked across the list of names uncomfortably again.

"Why are we here?" was all he said. His voice was still low. Sorrow emanated from the big man as he looked from crossed-out name to crossed-out name. Raleigh took him by the shoulder.

"For starters, the inn had too many ears. Also, I needed you to see what was at stake. Thirty names are greyed. They're obviously the players who had their setups removed, like Aaron Sera told us. Nineteen others have died of other causes. That makes almost fifty human lives that have been cut short."

I fidgeted. It didn't feel right to be in this room. All of the lives of all of the players were connected to these names. When one was struck out, it meant the life was as well, and fifty players were already gone…

Gail snapped away from the massive tombstone and regarded his friend coolly.

"What is it that had to be said away from anyone else?"

Raleigh sighed and beckoned us away from the wall. We left the room quietly, but I could still feel the weight of the crossed-out names on my shoulders. It didn't make sense that I would feel guilty for all of them, but if I could have helped someone instead of being out selfishly in «Horunka»… the «Anneal Blade» at my side felt forty-nine times heavier.

Raleigh brought us into another side room, this one with chairs and tables. She sat down heavily, and we did the same.

"There are two main «guilds» that have started up," she started. "One is called «Legion», and the other «The Patriots»."

Roni grimaced.

"We ran into some of those «Patriots» when we came back into the city! They're mean!"

Raleigh shook her head.

"«The Patriots» aren't nearly as bad as «Legion». «The Patriots» have good intentions and a good Commander leading the way, but things sometimes get lost in translation as they filter down the ranks. They've been teaching players how to fight and how to work together. It's a good cause. Patriot Col has also been funding food for all of its members, but there are more mouths every hour."

The woman frowned.

"It's «Legion» that's the problem. The man in charge, you didn't hear him last night. He was incredibly charismatic. Hundreds gathered to listen to him. He was fanatical and determined to rouse as many people as possible.

"Unfortunately, it worked. People flocked to him, but I know his type. I don't believe that he intends to do anything he promised; protect the people, feed the hungry, clear the game, none of it. He'll sit atop his power and try to last as long as possible. He'll end up killing us all if there aren't enough players to work towards getting out."

I shook my head. What the hell was the point to all of this? When Gail asked the same question I'd been thinking, Raleigh gave him an unbelieving look.

"There's a shadow war in the city right now, Gail. «Legion» are no better than thieves, using their power to bully everyone else into submission. The two main parties are fighting for power, with all of the other players stuck in the middle."

Gail gave her a skeptical look and shrugged, lifting his palms up.

"Thanks for the information, but I don't see what we can do about any of it. You told me last night that there were hundreds of players flocking to the fields, _flocking_, you said. I think that the situation here with blow over soon, and when the dust settles, «Legion» will have broken into smaller guilds intent on carrying out the promises that were broken. And «The Patriots» are heading in the right direction anyway, right?"

Raleigh slumped back in her chair in disbelief. She shook her head and flipped her hands, giving up with a look of contempt. Gail reached out to cover one of her hands with his, but she pulled away. He sat back, unflustered by her rejection.

"It's hasn't even been a full day, Raleigh. Things are very confusing for everyone, myself included."

She stared daggers at him.

"Then how the hell can you be so calm?"

He shrugged and moved to stand up. I didn't want to stay behind with the furious woman, so I followed suit along with Roni. As we started leaving, Raleigh called out after us.

"Do you not understand what you saw earlier? Do you not understand what's at stake? Do you even _care, _Gail?"

Without turning around, Gail answered all three questions.

"I do."

Then he steered Roni and I out the door, and we left «Black Iron Castle» and Raleigh behind us.


	9. Reality?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sword Art Online.

**A/N:** I hope you all like it so far. Thank you so much for the review! New chapters will come fairly regularly due to the short length

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Chapter 9

The days after we left «Black Iron Palace» passed by in a blur. We stayed in the «Starting City» long enough to buy full sets of leather armor, new shirts and pants, long blue coats, and a new sword for Gail. We pooled our money in the end to get him the deadly «Claymore» with stats a bit lower than the «Anneal Blades». We blew the rest of our Col on bread, cheese, and gourds of water, and then we headed out.

We retraced our steps to «Horunka», but when we reached the village, we turned and headed off to the east towards the center of the floor. A village too small to warrant a «Safe Area» status offered a hunting quest and a quest to get water from some spring. We hunted the nearby fields clean and burned through the quests, and in return for delivering water and chasing down a pack of wolves, we received enough experience to level up again and three potions—one for each of us in the event of an emergency.

We stayed in the upstairs rooms of an NPC's house for the last several nights in this village. Day in and day out, we were always hunting, always fighting. We saw more and more players in the field the longer we were out, too. November twelfth came, and we were finally heading out.

"Oh, you're a dick," I muttered. The swordsman ran off after getting the last hit in on the wolf I had been fighting. Because experience and loot was split up based on damage dealt, he didn't make off with much, but it still annoyed me. Gail jogged over, but I waved him off.

"I'm alright," I called out, watching the sword-and-shield user run towards the village we were leaving. "'Spread the wealth' and all that, you know?"

He rolled his eyes, and I followed him back to the dirt road where Roni was impatiently tapping her foot. When we rejoined her, she poked me in the ribs once for making her wait and then twice for making her wait. I grabbed her head and pulled her in for a hug which she fought to escape, but it all set me thinking as we traveled down the lonely dirt road.

Six entire days had passed, but it felt much longer. The constant struggle of kill, kill, eat, sleep, rinse, repeat filled the last few days with a near-constant flow of adrenaline. Mentally, I was exhausted. Waking up every day knowing I had to get up and get moving was one thing, but waking up every day knowing I had to put myself in life-or-death situations for meagre rewards was starting to get to me.

Every day, we pushed ourselves harder. We fought more monsters, fought harder monsters, and tried different tactics all the time. Roni took on two wolves today, leaping back and forth throwing «Slants» and «Horizontals», always a fraction of an inch away from their claws. Still, she managed to dodge them. It was incredible to watch her zip back and forth, over and under. She was faster than I was, and I was faster than Gail, but Gail…

He could take down a wolf one attack earlier than either of us one-handed swordsmen, and before long it became two attacks earlier. He built for speed like Roni and I did, but he added a few more of his attribute points to round out his strength as well.

Altogether, we were unstoppable, I suppose. In six days, we were level three. Sure, we'd ran across a couple of solo players who were closer to four than us, but with the rate we went through packs of monsters or individual ones, we were definitely catching up.

The sunlight streaming through the trees took my mind off of skills and attributes and fighting. Walking next to Gail and Roni down this little dirt road almost seemed like we were back in the real world taking a stroll. There was sunshine and wind and trees all around us. The air smelled of life, dirt and all sorts of other things. It was real. It was as real as anything could be. If Roni, Gail, and I were to dress up exactly as we were and take a walk through the woods back in the real world, nothing would be different, right?

Except everything was different. In real life, you didn't have to question real life. Well, you _could_, but it didn't change the fact that it was still reality.

_But if this is reality, by that same logic, even though I question it, it's still real._

I slapped a hand on my face and rubbed my eyes.

_Damnit, of course it's still real, but it's not _real_ real, it's just… oh damnit._

To think that in a week my idea of reality had been completely and wholly transplanted was both incredible and disturbing. When a leaf fell down ahead of us, I didn't question that it fell down, it just happened. It was real, it existed. _So this life has to be real, because we're existing right now, right?_

Roni perked up beside me and ran forward, shouting.

"Oh, man! Look at it!"

A huge lake spread out in front of us, clear blue and sparkling all the way across. The sunlight glinted off of the water, and I couldn't help but smile as she ran ahead to splash around in the shallows. Gail wandered around the edge of the forest and picked flowers, but I couldn't splash around or pick flowers, my mind was too busy and my heart was too heavy.

The green cursor above Roni's head didn't shatter my grasp of reality. The health bar in the corner of my vision and the names of my companions underneath my own didn't ruin the reality of the situation either. They were normal at this point after days and days of growing accustomed to them. Thankfully, I was pulled from my thoughts when Roni whipped around and beckoned me to the water's edge. When I approached, sinking slightly into the pebble beach, she pointed out into the water.

"See the fish?"

I nodded, watching it dart around. She nudged me with her elbow, laughing.

"'Teach a man to fish, and he will feed himself for a lifetime, but teach a fish to 'man,' and he will never feel like he belongs.'"

I laughed, despite myself. Short and sweet. Just once, but it was enough. I smiled at her, but as she had no clue what I was really smiling at her for, she looked at me awkwardly and forced her eye to twitch a couple of times. I grabbed her head and pulled her in for a suffocating hug, and she squirmed to escape my grasp.

"Are you two ready to go?"

Gail was back on the path shoving flowers into his inventory. What he was going to use them for, I had no idea, but I nodded and tugged along our energetic leader.

We stopped to eat soon afterward, but we spent nearly all of the rest of the day on our feet. The next town was close, Gail promised, and like normal, he was right. There was a smattering of buildings spread out, but as the sun dipped down, I didn't feel like grabbing any quests. Roni yawned, and I looked longingly at the inn. He took the hint, and we headed inside.

Sitting down in a comfortable chair was heaven after a long day on the road. Soreness wasn't quite a real thing in SAO, but being off my feet was a relief in any case. I ate my pork chop and potato quickly, and I sat back in satisfaction as a bit of strength returned to me. Gail broke into my mind, though.

"You were pretty quiet on the road today. Something on your mind?"

I straightened slowly, chewing the question over. In the end, I gave a noncommittal shrug.

"I was just trying to comprehend…" I gestured with a hand around the room, but not at anything in particular. I tried to find the words to explain that I was thinking about everything, but Gail got my meaning. Roni didn't bat an eye or miss a beat.

"Don't think about it so much. It is what it is, and we're here now."

_Oh._

"Well, I'm off to bed! Goodnight Sir Gail."

She walked off to her room, but as she passed behind me she flicked me in the back of the head, then leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"It's real enough, and with real people, too. If you can't make the best of it, just enjoy being with us!"

After a few seconds, she added:

"You boob."

Then she walked away, and I stared at her back, mouth open, as she vanished into her room. I had just received life advice from an eleven-year old, but I'll be damned if it wasn't some of the best I'd gotten before. I turned to Gail, pointing at her room.

"That was a surprise," I managed, lame as it was. _That was a side of her I've never seen before_.

Gail only nodded and wished me a good night as well. He left me alone in the dining room, but I didn't stay for long. I clambered out of my seat and made my way down the hall to my room, unequipping my armor once inside. The new cotton shirt was lighter than the starter shirt, as were the pants. As I settled down under the sheets of my bed, I realized they were more comfortable as well.

I let out a sigh.

I couldn't let my thoughts go when it came to questioning if this world of «Sword Art Online» was my reality, but as long as I had Gail and Roni, I could make it through.

_They're the only ones I have_, I realized, _and I don't even know them._

_That has to change_.


	10. Roni's Day

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Sword Art Online.

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Part 10

November 20th, 9:15 am

"You look ridiculous," Gail told me as I strapped the buckler to my left arm. I jumped around the store, shield raised, «Anneal Blade» in my right hand. The weight of the wooden plank was nearly painful when I tried to move; I was nowhere near as fast as I was without it. I let the iron-rimmed shield drop to my side, and the point of my sword fell to the floor.

"You're right, this thing is way too awkward." I returned to the NPC who was waiting for me to purchase the shield and hit the [ Cancel Preview ] option under my purchase window. The shield disappeared off of my arm in blissful polygons of light, and I swung it around again, free of the burden—_ahh, that's better._

When Roni previewed the same buckler, it was smaller on her arm than it had been on mine. It was still large and covered a fair portion of her leather-armored body, but she looked just as silly as I did. I couldn't help but give a mocking smile when she tried to lift it, even though I'd had just as much luck with mine.

"Having trouble, chief?"

The glare I got in response shut my mouth immediately. Without saying a word, she dropped out of a fighting stance and roughly pushed past me to decline her purchase. Then, she nearly kicked open the door and stepped out into the sunlight, leaving a confused Gail and I behind. I watched her back as she stormed off, swinging her «Anneal Blade» from side to side leaving red neon trails after every stroke. I looked at Gail, but he only shrugged.

A long time ago, back in the «real world», I went on a trip to Canada with my family. It wasn't anything too extraordinary, but we got to ski and snowboard, so it was awesome. I remember staying for the first week thinking that it was the coolest trip ever, but as we got further into the second week, the feelings started changing. My dad freaking studies people, so of course he noticed, and my mom did, too. My older sisters didn't at first until they started feeling the same way.

Slowly, the feelings of amazement and fun dwindled as we spent more and more time on the slopes. Going up and down the mountain over and over started seeming dull and stupidly repetitive. We were just doing the same dumb thing, day in and day out. I missed my friends, and I missed sleeping in my own bed. I was homesick, and before long I was fed up with the whole trip. Of course, the second to last and last days turned that feeling upside down and returned the original excitement, but for three days I'd been in misery.

_She's homesick._ Gail and I followed the angry giant of a little girl as she made her grumpy way out of town. We'd spent the last couple of days in this slightly more central, north western town after backtracking to that tiny village we were in before coming across the lake. The wolf packs in the forest gave us no problem as we were level six and a half with Gail just turning seven.

This moderate village boasted a full fifteen buildings including shops and an inn. We'd planned our route to the far northwest after buying new leather cuirasses for Roni and I and an iron plate chest piece and scale armor for Gail. We bought plenty of food in addition to our newly-acquired sleeping bags and campfire kits. Gail didn't know how long it would take us to get to the far town while trying to traverse that mountainous region. Honestly, it worried me that he was unsure about something, but 'you can't always get what you want.'

I picked up my pace and took longer strides to catch up, quickly falling into step with her. The «Leaving Safe Area» status appeared, and she stopped swinging her sword around so she wouldn't cut my head off. When she turned my way, I hoped to see a bit of something other than irritation, but she punched me in the arm and locked her pace two steps ahead of me.

"You're a jerk. Making fun of me…"

I didn't apologize because I knew she didn't want to hear anything. I just kept going.

It was noon when we broke free of the forest and stared at the foothills before us. They started out light and rolling, but they drastically grew the further the path went. I understood that the village was remote, but did it really have to be behind a freaking mountain range?

"Gawking won't get us anywhere," Gail said lightly, starting up the hills. Roni took off after him, leaving me behind in the dust. I sighed and followed.

The hills passed, and the mountains rose up around us like, well, mountains. I turned back to look at the floor before the mountains completely blocked it all out, and it was incredible. The forest spread out far into the distance; I could see a couple of tiny clearings where villages were. I even saw the glint of the sun reflecting off where I knew the lake to be. Red-brown stone soon overtook everything else. I almost started missing the green of the trees all around, but then the first monster spawned.

Well, it didn't _spawn_ so much as leap down from the rocks above us to block our path. The mountain lion howled at us, baring its fangs. The three eyes in its head glowed yellow, and then it pounced.

Gail met it head on, stopping it dead in the air. The moment it was dazed, I pushed hard off of the ground, activating «Sprint» to close the distance and cut into it with a «Horizontal». I slid past it, turning around once the delay from using the «Sword Skill» wore off.

Even though the mountainside path was all of six feet across, we trapped it in-between us, cutting its health bar away steadily until Roni delivered the finishing «Vertical». The monster lasted longer than any of the wolves we'd fought before, but with two people «Switching» on one side and me on the other, it was over quickly. I didn't get any items, but I got a decent amount of experience and Col.

The rest of the path was littered with monsters, but we never saw them until they jumped on top of us. «Giant Rattlesnakes» were the worst as they blocked the whole path, flinging the tail ends of their bodies to try and throw us off the ledge. The «Bobcats» thankfully never hunted in packs, and the «Rock Lizards» were more annoying than their rewards were worth, always leaping away from danger.

It was hours later when we finally made it to a cliff and saw a village twinkling its lights far below us. The sun was falling steadily, painting the mountains a glorious orange, but before long it was dark. Our path had twisted around and around through the mountains, always changing, and now we were at a dead end, stumped by a steep drop-off.

"We should sleep up here tonight," Gail said, taking a peek over the edge of the cliff. "I don't see any path down at the moment, and the monsters we'd face will be stronger because of the night. I don't fancy getting thrown off a ledge."

Roni and I quickly agreed, and we set up our camp.

We placed our sleeping bags around a central fire. While Gail set up a cooking pot, I took a brief walk around to check out the surroundings, which weren't too extraordinary. We were on a wide plateau overlooking a canyon, and that was all she wrote. I thumped down onto my sleeping bag and was about to lay down when a window blinked before my face.

[ Duel Application ]

[ Roni VS Cale ]

[ First Strike Mode ]

I turned to see her smiling sweetly at me, but I grimaced. _She's going to pound me into the ground_. After a moment of fake contemplation, I smashed the accept button and gave her my best savage grin.

"You're on, princess."

Her eye twitched, and her sword was in my face before I could finish standing up. The [ Duel Clock ] was only down to 0:53 from its original sixty seconds, and my heart leapt to my throat. _Is she really going to smack me before the duel even starts?_

Instead, she winked at me, curtsied, and skipped away to the other side of the clearing, standing a solid ten feet away from me. I took up a position opposite her, away from the campfire where Gail was stirring a pot and watching us thoughtfully.

_Oh, man, look at her. Is she still mad about earlier?_ She stood, sword in hand, expressionless. Her blue coat flapped in the wind around her legs, and she slid into a wider stance as the timer ticked past 0:10. I watched her carefully with my own «Anneal Blade» raised towards her. She normally led with a charge, and I normally «Sprinted» to deal a quick «Slant» and «Horizontal» combo. As the timer hit 0:00, her blank face spread into a wild smile.

_Damn. Lead with a charge!_

The «Sonic Leap» accented by pushing my body along with the system-assisted motion closed the gap to her in half a heartbeat. Her sword was still near the ground while my red-glowing blade started the inhumanly-fast descent towards her head—no, _go for the shoulder_.

A scream split the night as our swords collided with a horrendous screech. She was crouched, both hands on her sword. Her blade met mine above her head, but how she moved faster than a «Sword Skill» on her own, I never knew. Off to the side, Gail actually gasped, but then Roni was pushing back for all she was worth, and my attention returned to her.

The swords agonizingly grated against each other in a metallic shriek as she pushed me away and followed up with a «Slant». If my sword hadn't already been near enough to dodge, the duel would have been over.

I blocked weakly, getting pushed back by the force of the blow, and she spun around after her delay swinging a wild backhand. Instead of meeting her sword, I ducked underneath and moved in for an uppercut, but she slammed her pommel into the flat of my blade and knocked it off course.

_Agh! She's too fast._ The words were barely in my head before a thrust forced me away. I kept my footing much to her annoyance, and I reveled in her brief frown.

_Did you think I would go down so easily?_ Her eyes narrowed, and she came at me in a flurry of blows that I could barely keep up with. I met the first downward swing with full force, parried the next sideways slash, and blocked the cut from the other direction as well, but I lost track of her movements soon thereafter.

Every swing she threw was at full force and full speed, much to my amazement. I was steadily losing ground, and I was very aware of the rock wall behind me creeping closer and closer. In her last combo, she kicked a foot out from underneath of me and slammed her sword down over my head. I met it with my own, and we both gripped our blades with two hands.

She slammed her sword onto mine from above over and over, but with more points in strength, there was no point to her tactic. I could hold out a simple block far longer than—

A force hit me in the ribs like a haymaker or a dropkick.

I was looking up at her as she was coming down for another attack, and then she dropped into a crouch faster than a bullet. My sword was still in my hands above my head. I looked down to see her arm outstretched, blade up to the hilt in my side.

It hurt, of course, and it hurt worse when she pulled the blade out. A screen appeared above her, announcing her as the winner, but she paid it no mind. Her hand came down into my face, and I took it gratefully.

She pulled me to my feet, but there was something dangerous glinting in her eyes.

"Again?"

Her hands worked the menu quickly, and another duel request came before me. I didn't answer her question, I just pressed the [ Accept ]. She smiled and went back to her original position. Warily, I stepped into mine.

_I hope she's feeling better…._

The timer ticked down, and again I tried to analyze her. Her sword was hanging loosely in her hands, tip dragging in the dirt. I tried to guess at what was going through her mind, but her face was blank as a sheet of paper once more. I frowned at her. She laughed and smiled back. I couldn't help but bite my lip, grin, and shake my head in response. She was enjoying this, that much I could tell.

The timer ticked down to 0:10, and I bounced lightly on my feet, sword raised.

_I'm actually enjoying it too_, I realized. A warm feeling spread through my chest, either out of anticipation or happiness, I didn't know. The clocked ticked zero, though, so I had to be on my A-game. I had to focus on—

In one heartbeat, Roni was standing a distance in front of me. In the next, she flashed out of existence, reappearing directly in front of my face.

I parried her slash brutally, throwing her off balance. It was a fluke that I managed to block it at all. My arms had almost moved on their own. She danced away, twirling, and turned to face me again. Once more, she flashed out of existence. A tingle in my spine told me to turn, and I followed through with the motion to meet her sword coming towards my back. Her face fell slack and she jumped away.

"That was… really good, Cale."

She was genuinely complimenting me, and I accepted her words with a slight nod before she disappeared again. Her speed was unnerving. Imagine a bullet being fired at you, which you have to knock away perfectly, but the gun changes angles as fast as the bullets move and shoots more bullets at you at the same time. Maddening. Impossible.

I tried to parry them, but my blocks were all messy. Slowly, my health was chipping away. If she didn't get a clean hit on me, the duel would end when my HP dropped into the yellow. Another tingling feeling came up my spine, and I spun to connect with her sword again. The sensation was coming more frequently the longer I fought her, and I used the moment of surprise against her to slash a vicious «Slant» at her chest.

She parried weakly, and I dealt minor damage as my sword grated across her. I pushed the advantage, keeping her on her heels. She lost ground under my steady barrage, ducking this way and that but always getting caught in my swings. When she parried me again, I tried a different maneuver.

The instant our swords collided, I pushed off the ground, activating «Sprint» for a burst of incredible speed. It felt like I pushed through space as I appeared beside her, bringing my sword down for the winning blow—

The swords screamed as they met once more, stopping my swing completely. I lost a second in shock, but a full second was more than enough for Roni to spin around me and stab me in the back. The force drove me to my knees, and the duel was over.

I took her outstretched hand again and clambered to my feet, accepting the third duel request as it appeared before me. She smiled at me.

"Last one, but you're not gonna surprise me this time, you scoundrel."

I gave a slight bow, and we took up our positions once more. It only felt like a few seconds had passed when the minute-long timer hit zero. Roni sprinted straight for me, slashing this way and that, putting me on the retreat right away.

I ducked and parried and countered as many as I could, but she was too fast. Her sword came out of nowhere all the time, and it was so fast it seemed like I was fighting off three blades instead of one. Roni lost her patience with my weak performance and kicked me hard in the stomach, throwing me across the campsite.

"Are you _letting_ me win?"

I saw the twinge in her jaw and the crease in her forehead, but her eyes were the scariest part. They were like molten lava, burning into my soul with a ferocity I hadn't seen out of her before.

"Don't treat me like a child, you… you…"

She slipped into a wide stance and her sword glowed a bright red. I rolled to my feet and set my own «Sword Skill» into motion, annoyed that she thought I was _actually_ _letting_ _her kick my ass._ As if it wasn't embarrassing enough to lose to an eleven-year old over and over!

"Like _hell_ I'm letting you win," I shouted, feeling the system start to tug me forward.

Roni shot towards me, nearly screaming as her charge pulled her through space. I flew towards her, sword aimed directly at her chest.

"Prove it!"

A sonic boom ripped through the air and filled the sky with fire as we collided. It felt like a bomb had dropped on our campsite. The ground around Roni and I was broken and blown away in a perfect circle just like they did in cartoons. The ringing in my ears subsided after what seemed like an eternity.

Our swords had screeched past each other and embedded themselves into our collars, right at our necks. Horrifying as it was, I was more terrified by my health bar nearing the red zone.

I tore my sword out of her chest and pulled her blade out of my own with my hands. She looked up at me with a dazed look as I shoved a potion into her mouth before downing one for myself. Our health slowly returned to the yellow and back to the green, and I counted us lucky for getting a lot of spare potions from quest rewards.

Above our heads, the duel screen was grey with a single word above both of our names.

[ Tie ]

I pulled Roni to her feet and led her back to her sleeping bag. She leaned heavily on me as her legs were shaking too much to walk properly on her own. Mine were shaking too, but that didn't matter.

Gail was staring open-mouthed at both of us as we crashed down onto our mats. Without a word, he handed us our bowls of soup and sat back, eyes flicking between us nervously.

Roni rolled onto her stomach and winked at me.

"You did good, kid."

A heartbeat passed, and then everything returned to normal. Gail boomed out his deep laugh, and I flustered and blustered at her comment while she rolled around like a loon. Things settled, and we fell into a light conversation, slurping up Gail's bland beef and onion broth.

I smiled at the other two over the top of the flames then sat back to enjoy the starlight and their company. Just over two weeks had passed us by, and of course I was feeling homesick as well, but… _I'm at home right where I am, _and it was feeling more normal every day.


End file.
